


Follow your heart (or the quill, whichever)

by kyudos2you



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Harry Potter!AU, M/M, unrequited!sehun/jongin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 18:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4756598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyudos2you/pseuds/kyudos2you
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun likes Jongin. Jongin doesn't like him. Joonmyun doesn't like that Jongin doesn't like Sehun. And there's also the mysterious quill</p>
            </blockquote>





	Follow your heart (or the quill, whichever)

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** cliches (who doesn't like cliches? not me for sure!), brief mention of minor character death, prejudice against blood status   
>  **Note:** written based on prompt #4 at hp_exolliarmus though this fic isn't actually part of the exchange. I just felt like writing seho and I've also been wanting to tackle the magical world of harry potter, which btw I do not own. same goes for exo.

The Great Hall is as always this particular day of the year, loud and vibrant. The sorting ceremony has just ended, the new faces being welcomed by their respective house prefects. Some looking more nervous than the rest, undoubtedly muggleborns.

Sehun remembers his first time many years ago (well, five really). He was just as nervous and yet excited at the same time. His mother had been in Hufflepuff during her time at Hogwarts and his father would probably be sorted in Slytherin if he did actually go to Hogwarts. So there was no guarantee which house he’s going to end up with but in the end, it took only a few seconds for the Sorting Hat to decide that he’s made for Gryffindor after all.

That day five years ago was also a very momentous day for another reason, a fact unfortunately well known amongst his circle of friends.

“So Sehun, is this going to be the year you will get Jongin in your pants? And finally thank him for sharing the chocolate frog with you?” Soojung croons, eyebrows waggling suggestively, “You don’t have much time left you know.”

Sehun kicks her under the table, grinning satisfactorily at the pained expression on her face, “Keep your voice down will you? And for your information, I do not just want him in my pants, I actually do want to be in relationship with him.”

“It’s no longer a secret Sehunnie, everyone practically knows already,” Soojung states matter-of-factly, attempting to kick him back but failing, much to her frustration, “The only ones who don’t know are probably the first years but I believe at the rate you keep on staring at the Slytherin table, that will change very soon.”

“They do not! And I’ve only looked at him three times so far!” Three times in the last fifteen minutes that is, maybe around twenty times since all the older students came in to the Great Hall, about five on the Hogwarts Express earlier and at least twice at the station but Soojung doesn’t need to know that. Give him a break, he hasn't seen Jongin since before summer break.

Soojung doesn’t say anything back but the all knowing smile on her face gets on his nerves nonetheless so he just looks over her shoulder instead to see Jongin happily feasting on the roast chicken being served and laughing at whatever his housemates are saying.

At times like this, he regrets not being sorted into Slytherin with Jongin, not that he has a choice on that matter but if they were in the same house, they would probably be close friends and maybe even more. That’s all he’s asking for, to be with Jongin, make him laugh, be there for him when he’s upset after losing a Quidditch match and of course with the added bonus of sleeping with him.

“Is he boring holes into Jongin’s head again? I’m starting to be worried.” Baekhyun, a sixth year flops down next to Soojung, finally joining the feast after presumably attending to his prefect duties.

“No, this is only the fourth time apparently.”

Both Baekhyun and Soojung snicker. Sehun should be used to this already, his so-called friends have been teasing him about his crush since the first time they found out about it, which admittedly was his fault. He doesn’t actually try that hard to make his infatuation any less obvious.

“You know, I’ve always been thinking,” Baekhyun says again in between deciding on whether to start with the lamb chops or bacon, “It’s been five years and yet you don’t seem to be getting anywhere with him. I know you’ve tried but have you ever thought that maybe, I don’t know how to say this nicely, that he doesn’t fancy you back because of your status?”

Sehun sighs heavily, of course he has thought about it, too many times he thinks. It only make sense, him being a half-blood and Jongin coming from a long line of pureblood family and a Slytherin to boot. Jongin has never shown obvious hatred towards him but Sehun’s attempts at starting a conversation with him in their shared classes always get brushed off and even if he does respond, it’s short and leaves no opening to go further.

When Sehun just shrugs, Baekhyun continues, finally grabbing a piece of bacon, “It’s funny really, Joonmyun hyung isn’t like that. Heck, he’s best friends with Yixing. Yixing’s a Hufflepuff, a muggleborn and just very peculiar if you ask me.”

“What does this have to do with Joonmyun?” Sehun blurts, glancing over Soojung’s shoulder once more to catch a glimpse of Jongin, “Wait, first of all, who’s this Joonmyun person?”

Instantaneously, Baekhyun ceases his chewing and Soojung almost splutters out her punch, both staring wide-eyed at him.

“What?” he hisses.

“You, Oh Sehun, number one fan of Kim Jongin doesn't know Kim Joonmyun?” Soojung breaks in at last, “For goodness' sake Sehun, Joonmyun is Jongin’s older brother!”

“What?” he repeats, this time more of a surprise and disbelief, “How did I not know this?”

Baekhyun laughs wholeheartedly, “Well that’s an easy question. You only have your eyes on lover boy and they don’t really talk much at school anyway though I’ve seen them go to Hogsmeade together. Joonmyun hyung is in Gryffindor too you know?” At Sehun’s still blank expression, he continues, “I’m guessing you don’t.”

“Hey look, that’s him.”

Sehun follows Soojung’s line of sight, to where she’s pointing with her finger at the other end of the Gryffindor table, his gaze finally landing on a slightly older boy, wearing the same robes as everybody else on the table except much neater and no hair out of place.

“The one sitting next to Luhan hyung, right?” When Soojung nods, he declares, “He doesn’t even look like Jongin.”

Soojung only rolls her eyes but thankfully Baekhyun makes himself useful by explaining the situation. They are actually only half brothers, Joonmyun’s mother was the first wife before she died not long after giving birth to him. Their father remarried and out of that second marriage, Jongin was produced.

“But anyway, my point is that Joonmyun hyung doesn’t care much about blood statuses. As far as I know, he cares about just anyone, living or dead,” Baekhyun iterates as they watch Joonmyun wave at the Gryffindor house ghost cheerfully.

“Hey, I just thought of the greatest idea,” Soojung exclaims all of the sudden, elbowing her cup in the process which then results in Baekhyun muttering a string of curses under his breath before deciding to _scourgify_ the mess.

“You’re going to thank me after this, I assure you,” she goes on excitedly, bouncing on her seat, “Listen to this, why don’t you ask him for help with your Jongin dilemmas? I’m pretty sure he’s willing to help if he’s as kind-hearted as oppa made him to be.”

Baekhyun hits the table a few times in succession as he hears the suggestion, face brightening up excitedly.

“That’s actually a pretty decent idea. Didn't expect that from you Jung Soojung,” marvels Baekhyun before turning to face Sehun once more, “What do you think? Want to try it?”

In all honesty, Sehun doesn’t think it’s a great idea nor does he want to try it out but to appease his friends and perhaps this will at least lessen their teasing, he nods half-heartedly nonetheless.

  
\---

Thankfully the topic of enlisting Joonmyun’s help doesn’t come up in any of their conversations after that one time, though sadly the teasing doesn’t stop whenever either of them spot him stealing glances at Jongin during mealtimes at the Great Hall or in the hallways in between classes.

In fact, he totally forgot about it for the whole two months since start of term, only being reminded about it the night after the first Quidditch match of the year. The Gryffindor common room is delightfully buzzing with excitement, having won the match against Slytherin hours prior.

Sehun of course doesn’t miss out on the celebration. They haven’t won the Cup but beating Slytherin is definitely something worth celebrating. He can’t help but worry a little however, Jongin is probably beating himself up at the very moment. He was seconds away from catching the snitch but a slight misjudgement on his part gave Luhan the opportunity to snatch it instead and give Gryffindor their first win.

Soojung is with her girl friends sitting on the armchairs, positively swooning as they listen to their Quidditch captain, Minho talking about the match in detail though from the sounds of it, slightly exaggerated. Baekhyun, unfortunately couldn’t make it to the party. He had grumbled on and on earlier how no prefect from the other houses wants to take over his turn to patrol the castle’s millions and millions of hallways. Minho doesn’t have anything on Baekhyun when it comes to exaggeration really.

After a couple of hours or so, the cheers and singing had died down considerably, most of the students have already gone up to the dormitories and some who are left in the common room are either talking in hushed voices or falling asleep on each other. Sehun is slumped next to Luhan by the fireplace when the latter decides to call it a night, getting another congratulatory hug from Sehun before heading for the spiral staircase that will lead him to the boys’ dormitory.

The next day’s a Sunday, Sehun still has a Potions essay to write but he’d rather not think about it just yet. The heat from the fireplace is just right, it must’ve been charmed he thinks, and the background noise coming from the group of students slightly further away stops the place from getting too eerily silent. He has always hated silence. He feels content enough that he thinks he might just sleep there until morning or at least until Baekhyun comes back and levitate him to his dorm room.

“You’re not planning to sleep here are you?” a voice cuts through his train of thoughts, making him jerk upwards, “It’s not going to be comfortable, trust me. I’ve tried it once, never again.”

“Oh, no not really,” he lies, scooting down to give some space for the other boy to sit, “I was just enjoying the fireplace.” He resists the urge to face palm at the awkward statement and merely smiles stiffly instead.

“It is getting rather chilly already isn’t it? It comes earlier and earlier each year, I don’t like the cold,” the other huffs after making himself comfortable. He does actually look cold, wearing a comfortable looking sweater whereas Sehun is only in a T-shirt. “Oh I’m sorry, must have thrown my manners out the window for a second there, ranting to people I don’t know the name of. I’m Kim Joonmyun, seventh year. You are?”

Patting himself on the back mentally for not blurting out an ‘I know’, Sehun returns Joonmyun’s smile, “Oh Sehun, fifth year.”

Joonmyun looks surprised for a moment, eyes wide and mouth agape and immediately many thoughts run through Sehun’s mind. Does Joonmyun somehow know that he’s a half blood and decides he doesn’t want to be associated with him? Perhaps Joonmyun isn’t actually as angelic like Baekhyun said?

“I swear I thought you’re a fourth year!” Joonmyun pipes, laughing good naturedly, “Ah my bad, shouldn’t have make assumptions. Anyway, that means you’re in the same year as my brother! Are you friends with Jongin by any chance?”

Sehun shakes his head, doesn’t meet Joonmyun’s gaze lest the sadness shows.

“Oh, that’s another surprise. I thought Slytherin and Gryffindor always share the same classes, you two must at least spend some time together at some point am I right?”

This time Sehun nods. If Joonmyun’s annoyed that he’s not speaking much, he doesn’t show it. He simply smiles, humming in thought, probably wondering why Sehun and his brother aren’t friends. Sehun gets why it’s a little bit puzzling, Jongin has friends in Gryffindor, he can name a few and all of them have one thing in common, they’re all purebloods.

“You take Potions right?” Sehun nods. “Professor Shim always like to pair up different houses together, you and Jongin never gets paired up is it?”

“I’m a half blood.”

It wasn’t the answer to Joonmyun’s question, definitely wasn’t what he was expecting Sehun to say to break his silence but the short statement is enough to finally answer Joonmyun’s main question. Sehun has to give him credit for catching on right away and it shows, his previously smiling face now just looks apologetic.

“I’m sorry I pushed you earlier. Wasn’t really thinking,” Joonmyun says, looking up slowly from the floor to meet Sehun’s gaze, “Tell me honestly, he doesn’t bully you does he?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Sehun is quick to deny the accusations, shaking his head frantically, “He just doesn't really talk to me, that’s all.”

Joonmyun hums in acknowledgement, playing with the hem of his sweater. They don’t talk for a while after that and the silence that follows is starting to bother him. He belatedly realises that the other group of students have already gone up to the dormitories, leaving only the two of them in the room.

Before he can get the chance to excuse himself however, Joonmyun speaks up, “I’ve always been worried about Jongin. He’s a kind and gentle person and very dear to me. But sometimes when he gets fixated with a person’s blood status and refusing to associate with anyone other than purebloods, it just makes me sad. He isn’t always like that you know.”

Sehun doesn’t have a response to that. What can he say really? This just confirms his and Baekhyun’s suspicion that the reason his efforts all these years to woo Jongin fails is all because of his half blood status.

“Sehun, I know we just formally met and this is probably a difficult favour to ask from you, but would you mind terribly helping me change Jongin’s perception of blood statuses? I don’t actually know you very well and I’m seriously hoping you’re not evil or something because that’ll beat the purpose of all this, in fact it’ll just make it worse but you do seem like a nice guy and you’re in the same year as Jongin, that’ll make things easier. I don’t even know how this will work and-“

“Sure,” Sehun cuts Joonmyun’s nervous ramblings, “I’ll help.”

  
\---

In his defence, he’s not actually using Joonmyun for his own benefits. It was suggested to him, yes that’s true but he wasn’t planning on actually doing it. Besides, Joonmyun’s the one asking and he only wants to help. Whatever he might gain out of this is just a bonus.

So he pushes away the guilt whenever he sees Joonmyun smiling at him at the dining table or when he says hi in the common room on his way to the dormitories. Soojung and Baekhyun came to the same conclusion at that moment, exchanging a meaningful glance.

“Trust me, it’ll work Sehun,” Soojung promises.

“You’ll be making out with Jongin down in the dungeon in no time.”

It has been two weeks however, Joonmyun hasn’t approached him or even showed any sign that he remembers their agreement. Figures, Sehun thinks, it is not an easy task.

Sehun has been standing by the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower for close to ten minutes now, the Fat Lady just staring at him unsympathetically. The password was changed recently but he almost always has other people with him that he hardly ever needs to say it out, until now that is.

He’s still in the midst of deciding whether to just wait a little bit longer for other students or go back to the library and ask Soojung for the password when the portrait swings open.

“Sehun, there you are!” Joonmyun squeaks as he walks through the door, “Let’s go, come with me.”

He has no time to protest before Joonmyun is grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from the direction of the common room. The few students they see walking past by don’t spare them much of a glance, which he’s thankful for. He must have looked so flabbergasted still. Even more so now that he sees that Joonmyun is leading him out of the castle and towards the Quidditch Pitch.

“Hey, hey hyung,” he finally manages to say, “Why are we going to the pitch?”

Joonmyun slows in his tracks, allowing Sehun to finally walk on his side rather than getting dragged behind, though he doesn’t release his grip on Sehun’s wrist, “Jongin is having practice right now. You still remember that you agreed to help right? To be honest, I don’t know how to go about it but let’s just start with this alright.”

What ‘this’ means is apparently Joonmyun calling out to Jongin from the pitch, whose team seems to have just wrapped up practice. Sehun is standing stiffly next to him, thankfully Joonmyun has let go of his wrist once they’ve arrived, else he would have noticed. Damn, he thinks, he’s always wanted to see Jongin up close after his Quidditch matches or practices and now his dream has come true.

His hair is ruffled from flying, a far cry from his brother’s neat locks, his training gear looks slightly damp from sweat and a little bit dishevelled. Sehun doesn’t know how their practice sessions go but from the looks of it, it seems pretty rough. Though somehow he thinks, if Joonmyun happens to be in the Quidditch team, he’ll probably still look unscathed after practice or matches, as if he just got there. But why is comparing Joonmyun and Jongin anyway?

“Hey Jongin, how was practice?”

“It’s great hyung! We’re never losing a match after this!”

Sehun feels like melting there and then, Jongin is just so dreamy, granted he hardly spares a glance at him for obvious reasons but hey, they’re there to change that fact aren’t they.

“That’s good! I know you’ll do amazing Jongin, just like father,” praises Joonmyun, clapping Jongin on his back, “Oh by the way, this is Sehun, you probably know that already right? He’s having troubles with Arithmancy too and since I’m already helping you with it I thought why not help another student out you know? So I’ll see you tonight at the library okay?”

“Sure, hyung,” says Jongin, much less enthusiastic than before as he flies off towards his teammates.

Sehun stares at Jongin’s retreating figure for longer than intended it seems as Joonmyun clears his throat to catch his attention.

“Sorry I didn’t consult with you earlier about this. Do you even need help with Arithmancy? I hope I’m not undermining your intelligence. I’m not even entirely sure if you do Arithmancy but I’ve seen you carry the textbook a few times so I just assumed- unless you’re carrying it for a friend. Merlin’s beard! I didn’t think about that. I-”

Sehun’s sudden bouts of laughter stops Joonmyun from his rambling, a thing Sehun’s definitely going to always associate him with. He stares at Sehun for a few more seconds, confusion adorning his usually serene face, “Did I say something wrong?”

“Not at all, hyung. You’re too cute,” Sehun blurts out, realising too late that he voices his thoughts out loud, “Arithmancy is one of my electives and yes, I do need help to be honest. Thanks hyung.”

He finds that it is okay sometimes to voice out his thoughts after all if it means he can witness the blush now creeping on the other’s face.

  
\---

As agreed before they parted earlier, they’ll meet up in the library after dinner, Joonmyun saying that he’ll go straight from a prefects’ meeting. Sehun’s the first to get there from the looks of it so he takes it upon himself to grab a table that’s not too out in the open but yet not secluded enough that either Joonmyun or Jongin can miss.

He’s brimming with anticipation at the aspect of spending time with Jongin, never mind that it’s for a tutoring session but he’ll take what he can get. Even Baekhyun had noticed earlier. Sehun had remained mum as to why but with Baekhyun, there’s no hiding forever.

A few minutes later, after he’s spread out his textbook and parchment, Joonmyun finally arrives, slightly breathless as if he was running from where he came from.

“Hi, sorry I’m late. Had something important that needed to be dealt with first,” Joonmyun smiles apologetically, sitting himself down across from Sehun, “Oh by the way, Jongin owled me earlier saying he won’t be able to make it to this session. He never misses our tutoring session before. I guess his prejudice against your- um status is worse than I thought. I’m really sorry, Sehun.”

The disappointment that settles is probably akin to getting hit by a bludger and then falling off  the broom 100 foot to the ground. He can’t help but let his smile falter, unable to keep his façade.

“It’s not your fault, there’s no need to apologise hyung.”

“I feel bad though, Jongin’s my brother after all,” Joonmyun reasons, staring dejectedly at Sehun, “Do you still want to go ahead with the tutoring? I don’t mind either way.”

Sehun looks down at table and then back up at Joonmyun sheepishly, “I’ve got my things laid out already, we might as well just go ahead hyung. I need help on this assignment that’s due in two days anyway.”

“No problem at all,” Joonmyun grins at him and something else that’s not familiar settles in his stomach, replacing the disappointment from Jongin ditching them.

An hour into the tutoring session, Sehun concludes that Joonmyun is by far the most helpful tutor he has ever had and most patient too. Sehun isn’t a bad student per se but he finds Joonmyun’s smile and suppressed laughter distracting. He doesn’t look too annoyed when he has to explain the same theory close to four times. If this was Luhan, he’d probably be hexed and on his way to the hospital wing already.

In between Joonmyun explaining complex numerical theories and Sehun attempting to use the newfound knowledge to finish his assignment, they manage to talk a little bit about themselves. Sehun finds out that Joonmyun aspires to be a curse breaker, which Sehun thinks is surely not an impossible thing to achieve by how great he is at Arithmancy and most likely other subjects too.

Sehun in turns tells him that he doesn’t know exactly what he’s planning to do once he graduates. He was slightly worried that Joonmyun might judge him for it but it was all for nothing as Joonmyun only nods in understanding and assures him that there is no rush yet.

“You’re good at Charms I can tell,” he observes, chuckling when Sehun rubs the back of his neck, “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you nonverbally _accio-_ ed that book earlier. I’m already a seventh year and yet I can only manage to do a few nonverbal spells.”

“My mother used to be a Charms professor actually.”

“Ah that explains it,” Joonmyun hums, “Maybe you can follow in her footsteps.”

Sehun smiles and tells the other that he’ll consider it before continuing on with the last question on the assignment.

They wrap up the session when the librarian informs them that the library is closing soon which leads to another one of Joonmyun’s ramblings saying he hasn’t realised that it was already getting late and that Sehun should’ve stopped him earlier if he’s had enough of tutoring for one night.

As always, Sehun just laughs and brushes his apology off, leading the way as they head back to the Gryffindor Tower together.

“Same time next week?” Joonmyun offers, once they’re outside of Sehun’s dorm room, “Hopefully Jongin will be able to come and not make any excuses.”

“Sure, hyung. See you around.”

 

The next week finds just the two of them in the library once more. Joonmyun was already waiting when Sehun came, informing him right away that Jongin couldn’t make it again and giving him the option to cancel the tutoring if he would rather spend time with his friends in the common room instead.

Sehun scoffed, not really in the mood to be the recipient of his friends endless teasing and besides, his grade from the previous assignment had improved significantly so getting tutored by Joonmyun won’t hurt him in the slightest.

They stay in the library just as long as the first time, Joonmyun managing to do his own reading too as he waits for Sehun to finish another one of his assignments, occasionally asking questions whenever he’s stuck.

Later, they would walk together back to the Gryffindor Tower, immersed in their conversation that they almost went up the wrong staircase.

Same goes for the week after and when Joonmyun shrugs apologetically at the empty seat next to him, Sehun doesn’t feel the disappointment anymore. If Joonmyun hadn’t point it out, he would’ve forgotten that Jongin was supposed to join them too. In fact, he doesn’t think about Jongin as much nowadays. Perhaps preparation for O.W.L.s have finally managed to distract him from lover boy as Baekhyun would’ve called it.

Before they know it, Christmas holidays is upon them. Unlike the previous years, Sehun decides to stay in the castle for Christmas. His parents had replied to his letter dejectedly but they understood that he needs to spend as much time as he can to prepare for the big examination. He smiles now as he watches the students leaving from the window of his room, thinking about his parents who should be on their way to Japan for the holidays.

Joonmyun and Baekhyun he knows are going home, Jongin as well he believes. Soojung decides to stay too but her parents are coming on Christmas Eve to Hogsmeade, where she will be staying temporarily.

All his five years of going to Hogwarts, he has never stayed during Christmas holidays until now. He never knew the castle could be so quiet and serene. The Great Hall is decorated beautifully, the Christmas trees stand taller than any other trees he’s ever seen before and the snow that was falling from the enchanted ceiling makes everything looks ethereal.

Christmas morning, he wakes up to see a bunch of gifts at the foot of his bed. His father has sent him a polaroid camera, a brand of which he’s not familiar with. Perhaps he bought it in Japan. He opens the gift from his mother next and as always, she has given him another one of her hand knitted sweater. It’s light grey this time and smells like home so he quickly exchanges the sweater he’s currently wearing with the new one, praying that it’ll lessen his homesickness.

He takes a self photograph using the camera, making sure the sweater he’s wearing shows. Satisfied with the outcome, he writes them a letter, not forgetting to insert the photo with it. He releases his owl, Pinku from her cage before tying the letter to her leg and letting her fly out through the window.

Soojung had given him a Remembrall for whatever reason and Baekhyun must have visited WWW over the break for his Christmas gift is a Love Potion. More often than not, Sehun thinks it’s unhealthy as to how funny Baekhyun thinks he is.

He opens gift after gift and each time he finds out that it’s not from the person he’s hoping for, his spirits die down a little. Probably Joonmyun is too busy to buy him a gift? Or maybe he wasn’t even planning to get him one? Sehun falls back down on his bed, groaning loudly.

It is then that he feels something with his foot. He sits up, immediately spotting a small, slightly long box that hasn’t been unwrapped. He jumps excitedly, picking it up and slowly removing the packaging.

Inside the box, he discovers a quill. Nothing seems out of the ordinary with the quill, in fact it looks like it has seen better days. He finds a card peeking out from below it and quickly scans through it. When he sees that it wasn’t from Joonmyun, he sighs heavily.

_Dearest nephew,_

_Merry Christmas! I heard from your mother that you are staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. I hope your revision is going well. As it is soon time for you to take the O.W.L.s I have decided that it is time to pass on this quill to you since I will never have a son of my own. It was given to me by your grandfather, who acquired it from his father. It is no ordinary quill. I will not explain about it in details as I am sure that you will find out on your own. Just remember this, only facts will remain but the lies shall fade._

_Please do not tell your mother about this, I fear she will not approve of it and I certainly do not have a death wish. Use it wisely and for goodness’ sake, only use it for revision or assignment. Do not ever use it in the examination!_

_By the way, your uncle Kyuhyun says hi._

_Love,_  
_Your favourite uncle Donghae_

Intrigued, he picks up the quill from the box. It really does not look special nor does he feel an extra magic surging as he holds it in his fingers. He’ll investigate later, he decides because for now, it is time for breakfast.

After a sumptuous meal, he was dragged by some of the other students for a game of snowball fight out on the castle grounds. Snow is falling heavily and the grounds are blanketed in white but despite the freezing cold or that he’s soaked through the bones, they all manage to enjoy themselves immensely, so much so that Sehun forgets temporarily the sadness he felt from not receiving any gift from Joonmyun or the mysterious quill still in the box back in his room.

The Christmas Feast that night is even more splendid, he thinks that even with his fast metabolism, there’s no way he’s not gaining at least a little bit of weight. By the time he returns to his room, he’s exhausted and falls into slumber seconds after he flops down his bed.

The next day, he resumes making a home out of the library, taking with him the quill given by his uncle in the last minute which he then conveniently forgets in favour of  completing his Astronomy essay.

It isn’t until it’s almost lunchtime when he’s reading about the Draught of Peace that he finally remembers about it. Once more, he is astonished by how ordinary it looks, still finding it hard to believe the apparent mystical powers it has. Figuring why not, he decides to try it out.

He closes his Potions textbook and takes out a piece of parchment, figuring he might as well test his memory on the steps on how to brew the Draught of Peace he just read by writing it down.

_Steps to brew Draught of Peace:_

  1. _Add powdered moonstone until it turns green._
  2. _Stir until it turns blue._
  3. _Add powdered moonstone until it turns turquoise._



He stops there, getting a sudden inkling that he is wrong. He stares at his Potions textbook, as if it will somehow help him remember. Miraculously or most likely just a coincidence, he’s finally able to recall it.

“Should be purple first!” he grunts, frustrated with himself. He looks down on his parchment again, ready to strike out ‘turquoise’ when something catches his eyes.

_Steps to brew Draught of Peace:_

  1. _Add powdered moonstone until potion turns green._
  2. _Stir until it turns blue._



“What.”

He rubs his eyes, double checking again to make sure he’s not imagining things. He even looks at the back of the parchment and yet, the missing sentence is nowhere to be found.

Freaked out and yet curious, he continues where he left off, rewriting the same sentence but with purple instead of turquoise. This time, nothing happens. He has a feeling he knows what the quill does now but just to confirm his theories, he purposely writes the wrong steps. He changes the colour, the ingredient and even writing boil instead of simmer. All of the times he writes wrongly, the sentences just fade away right in front of his eyes.

_Only facts will remain but the lies shall fade._

It all makes sense. Sehun was thinking too much about the hidden meaning behind that one sentence when really, it’s literally just that. He laughs to himself, glad that there’s nobody else in the library at this time of the day. He makes a mental note to write back to his uncle to thank him once Pinku gets back. This quill is definitely going to be lifesaver.

 

The next day, he gets woken up by sounds of something scratching against something else. His brain cannot process what exactly it is just yet that early in morning but when it’s accompanied by a few squeaking, he jumps off the bed immediately, rushing out to look out the windows.

As suspected, an owl is waiting at the window sill, using its feet to scrape on the glass. It’s not Pinku, he can easily tell. It’s an eagle owl, a high breed from the looks of it. It’s eyeing Sehun now, glaring at him for making it wait long outside.

Flustered, he finally opens the window and the owl swoops in immediately, landing gracefully on his desk. Cautiously, because he knows some owls can be mean, he approaches it and takes the letter that was tied to its leg. As soon as he does so, the owl lets out a huff, if that’s even possible before it flies out the window into the sky once more.

He doesn’t think much before opening the letter, guessing it’s probably from his parents all the way in Japan, updating him on how they are doing and wishing him all the best in his revision.

What he reads isn’t what he was expecting.

_Dear Sehun,_

_First of all, I hope you weren’t alarmed by Byul. She just doesn’t like flying in winter. Most times she’s pretty amicable._

_I hope you had a good Christmas. Mine was good, our relatives from the countryside came for a visit and it was pretty hectic to be honest. Thank you very much for your gift by the way. I absolutely love it. I especially adore The Little Prince and I haven’t even finished it yet!_

_I’m going to Hogsmeade later today actually, my little cousins keep on pestering me about wanting sweets from Honeydukes. If you’re not busy maybe you can come down and accompany me? Only if you want to of course. Jongin will probably come too._

_I will be there around noon. I’ll see you then. Maybe._

_Love,_  
_Joonmyun_

Sehun squeals, jumping on his bed and burying his face in his pillows. He’s glad all of his roommates went home for the holidays or else they’ll probably shout at him for being so loud in the morning or worse laughing at his girly reaction.

He looks at the clock on his bedside table, groaning when he sees it’s still pretty early. He refuses to go back to sleep however, choosing instead to take a shower, have breakfast and when there’s still time to spare, study in the library for a while. He’s still pretty thrilled with his new quill after all.

A quarter to noon, he asks for permission to leave for Hogsmeade from the head of house, leaving immediately after being granted one. He takes his time walking and enjoying the scenery. Thankfully it’s not snowing though there’s still a lot of snow on the ground. The walk gives him time to mull over Joonmyun’s invitation.

Is he excited because Joonmyun has invited him? Or at the prospect of Jongin possibly being there too? If only he can easily find out. He sighs, fixing the scarf around his neck and rubbing his hands together for extra warmth.

He heads straight for Honeydukes once he arrives at the village figuring he’ll find Joonmyun and Jongin there. The shop isn’t crowded with Hogwarts students as it usually is during their weekend trips to Hogsmeade but it isn’t empty either. It takes him a little bit of walking around the shop before he finally spots the brothers, murmuring between themselves on how much candies should they buy.

His heart does a little jump, for whom he’s not entirely so sure anymore. Jongin notices him first, smile faltering slightly as he elbows his brother gently.

“Oh hey Sehun! You made it!” Joonmyun says cheerfully, oblivious to Jongin’s raised eyebrows and Sehun grins back at him as he approaches them. “We are just about to pay for the candies. Do you need to get anything from here?”

Sehun shakes his head and follows them to the front of the shop. He stands besides Jongin at the back as Joonmyun makes his purchase whilst exchanging small talk with the lady at the counter.

“How was your Christmas?”

It takes him a while to respond, surprised at the fact that Jongin is initiating a conversation with him. He’s glad that at least Jongin isn’t laughing at his probably wide eyes and slack jaw.

“Um it’s great. Ate a lot of food,” he answers, smiling slightly, “Yours?”

Jongin nods, looking down at his boots, “It’s good too.”

The conversation stops there, brief as always but yet the fact that Jongin was the one to start it still astounds him. He doesn’t realise that he’s staring at Jongin, who is now looking at the assortment of candies next to the counter until Joonmyun clears his throat next to him.

When Sehun turns to face Joonmyun, he sees that the latter’s smile suddenly doesn’t look so bright anymore. His forehead crinkles a little bit and Sehun fights the urge to smoothen it down.

“Do you have anywhere in mind that you want to go next?” he asks, feet shuffling absentmindedly, “Jongin told me that he wants to go to The Three Broomsticks but we can go somewhere else if you want.”

“The Three Broomsticks is fine!” he interjects, more enthusiastic than intended. He could use some butterbeer now, it probably can help settle his nerves.

Joonmyun frowns, Sehun would’ve missed it if he wasn’t paying attention, but it was gone in a split second that he thought he had imagined it. Joonmyun calls for Jongin’s attention before leading the way to the old pub.

Jongin doesn't strike anymore conversation with him or with Joonmyun for that matter, gaze roaming around instead as if searching for something. Joonmyun is being uncharacteristically quiet. This isn’t what he was looking forward to when he agreed to meet him there. It’s a little saddening.

At the pub once they’re served, at last Joonmyun begins to act more like his usual self. He tells Sehun about the relatives who came to visit, how he finally succumbed to agreeing to buy candies for his cousins and joking about how he was worried that Jongin will get splinched for he has never done side-along apparition with anyone before. Jongin too contributes to the conversation once in a while when he isn’t looking at the other side of the pub every few seconds. When this happens, Sehun more out of habit than anything looks at Jongin intently.

After about half an hour or so, Jongin excuses himself from the table, leaving just the two of them with their empty glasses. Sehun was about to offer to buy another glass for Joonmyun when he gets cut off, “You like Jongin don’t you?”

His mouth stays agape, blinking a few times. Somehow, he’s not that surprised that Joonmyun manages to figure out so quickly. Whether his assumption is true is another story.

“I- I don’t know,” he admits hesitantly, “I’m not sure.”

Joonmyun nods, his action slow and unsure, “Okay, fair enough.” He looks back up at Sehun then, smile not quite reaching his eyes.

Another half an hour later, he’s walking back to Hogwarts, feeling warmer than before. Before they parted, Joonmyun had finally given him his Christmas present, a pair of woollen gloves that feels soft to the skin. On impulse, Sehun had hugged him in thanks and when Joonmyun let go, he almost instinctively pulled him back again but stops himself when Joonmyun steps back, waving at him.

  
\---

Thursday the next week, school has officially restarted though Sehun doesn’t feel like there was even a break considering he was in the library studying for most of it.

He has only seen glimpses of Joonmyun since he came back a few days ago. They haven’t exchanged any words since that last time at Hogsmeade and Sehun can’t help but to worry a little. Something has changed between them that day, it’s just he can’t figure out what it is.

In less than an hour, it will be their usual tutoring session in the library. Since there hasn’t been a word from Joonmyun, he figures it should still be on.

“Why aren’t you in the prefects’ meeting, hyung?”

They’re in the Great Hall having dinner, well Baekhyun is having dinner at least. Sehun is still puzzled as to why he’s there at all when usually he’ll be at said meeting.

“We don’t have any this week. It’ll start next week.”

Sehun hums in acknowledgment, only beginning to notice the other prefects in the hall. Luhan is with the other seventh years further down the table. Joonmyun is there too though he doesn’t spare a glance at them.

“You’re getting chummy with Joonmyun lately aren’t you? I heard you’ve been spending time with him in the library.”

Sehun shrugs, looking towards the other end of the table again, disappointed once more that Joonmyun is still engrossed in conversation with his friends.

“He’s helping me with Arithmancy. It’s not like I can ask from you right, hyung?” Sehun jokes, playing with the food on his plate, “Did you know that he scored the highest grade in his year? Amazing right.”

Soojung who had been quietly enjoying her meal looks up at him with a glint in her eyes, “Oh wow. Don’t you sound so proud?”

Sehun attempts to kick her under the table but finds that she’s sitting cross-legged on the chair. She laughs at him victoriously before high fiving Baekhyun who he suspects is just doing it to infuriate Sehun further.

He ignores them for the rest of the meal, subtly glancing at Joonmyun for one last time only to find that he’s not at the table anymore. He looks at the time and curses under his breath, realising it’s almost time for their tutoring.

He doesn’t bother excusing himself, only standing up abruptly and speed walking towards the library.

“Hi hyung,” he greets cheerfully when he sees that Joonmyun is already there, sitting down across him, “How’s school so far?”

Joonmyun groans, the first time Sehun’s hearing him complain about school, “So much work already! I have tons of essays to write.”

“Sorry to hear that hyung,” he offers sympathetically, “Do you want to cancel this session? I don’t want to take up more of your time when you can use it to do your own work.”

Joonmyun shakes his head and Sehun rejoices internally despite being the one offering. He was hoping that spending time with Joonmyun will help bring back their relationship to what it was before- before whatever it is that happened at Hogsmeade that made Joonmyun act differently around him.

After a few more brief exchanges of words, they start to take out their books and parchment, Sehun consulting Joonmyun on the few Arithmancy problems he’s been having troubles with over the holidays.

Everything seems to go back to normal after a while with Joonmyun’s soft laughter still managing to distract him. He doesn’t catch Joonmyun staring at him as much anymore however, being rather absorbed with the book he’s reading.

The comfortable silence is broken unfortunately with the arrival of Baekhyun, who invites himself to sit next to Joonmyun, declaring that he’ll join them in their study session.

Sehun glares at him menacingly but it seems to have gone to waste as Baekhyun and Joonmyun begin to talk in hushed voices, managing only to hear words such as potions, professor and flobberworm mucus.

Even when they’re done, Baekhyun doesn’t spare him a glance, only pointedly looking at his book. Sehun so desperately wishes that Joonmyun hadn’t found out that he can do nonverbal spells or else he would’ve been happy to hex Baekhyun into the hospital wing.

He refuses to let Baekhyun’s presence distract him from his work however, continuing to catch Joonmyun’s attention whenever he needs to ask something. It’s in the middle of Joonmyun explaining a difficult concept to him that another student walk over to their table, successfully interrupting them.

“Hi Joonmyun,” the student speaks softly, hand oh so naturally resting on Joonmyun’s shoulder.

Sehun thinks he’s done enough glaring to last him a lifetime but this boy, a seventh year Slytherin if he’s not mistaken, deserves the sharpest glare of them all.

“Hey Yifan,” says Joonmyun, smiling as the boy - Yifan crouches down so that he’s eye level with Joonmyun, “What’s up?”

Yifan leans closer to Joonmyun and Sehun suddenly feels like snapping his wand in two, though that will just cause him more trouble than necessary. He’s whispering something close to Joonmyun’s ear who nods after a few seconds before standing up and following Yifan’s lead.

“I’ll be back,” is all he says.

Sehun follows them with his gaze until they disappear behind one of the many bookshelves in the library, frowning once he turns back to his book.

“Jealous are we?”

Dammit, he curses under his breath, forgetting for a second that Baekhyun is still there. He shakes his head, refusing to look up from his book. He’s been reading the same sentences five times already.

“Just admit it Sehun, you like him don’t you?” Baekhyun jests again. Some of the students at the nearby table shushes him, which he at least has the audacity to look guilty for.

When Sehun doesn’t give him any sort of response, he throws a crumpled piece of chocolate packaging at him. The neighbouring students yet again scowl at them. How it is possible that Baekhyun is a prefect baffles him, especially at times like this.

Losing patience, Sehun grabs a blank parchment and writes ‘I’m not jealous! I don’t like Joonmyun!’ in huge letters. Baekhyun doesn’t have bad eyesight as far as he knows but he’s not taking any chances. He raises the parchment up and shows it to sixth year, complete with another one of his glare, which admittedly might need a little brushing up.

Baekhyun looks pointedly at him, one brow raised as he mouths, “What?”

Sehun freezes, still holding the parchment up in the air. He looks at the quill he used to write with and blinks. Slowly, he brings the parchment down, looking closely at both sides.

The blank page looks back at him, taunting.

 

“You sure you’re okay?” Baekhyun asks for the probably tenth time. They’re lounging in the common room, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace. Sehun had become quiet and out of it Baekhyun points out after that incident in the library. Even when Joonmyun had returned after his talk with Yifan, his smile was apparently stiff and Baekhyun even had to kick him under the table when he doesn’t respond to Joonmyun’s call.

Taking pity on him, Joonmyun suggested that they end their study session earlier than usual, dragging Sehun up and pulling him back towards the Gryffindor Tower. He was the one who brought them the hot chocolates, not making one for himself however, saying that he’s going to go to bed early.

“Yes I’m fine hyung.”

“If you say so. Just know I’m here if you need me.”

  
\---

It’s been two weeks since the life changing revelation. Sehun still laughs to himself at times when he’s reminded of it. All these years, he was absolutely convinced that he’s in love with Jongin. He would go as far as calling it love at first sight. Before he knew Joonmyun, it still holds true although now maybe love isn’t the word he’d use. Puppy love maybe or simply, infatuation.

He finds it comical that he has to be told by a quill of all magical things that he in fact has fallen for someone else.

Despite knowing that and after confirming that his racing heart was definitely because of Joonmyun and not Jongin when he saw the two of them laughing outside the Great Hall, he hasn’t done anything about it yet.

He still continues to meet up with Joonmyun in the library and sometimes when they’re too lazy, they’ll stay and study in the common room. Baekhyun doesn’t tease him anymore when he sees them slumped on the armchair, which he’s absolutely thankful for. He doesn’t want Joonmyun to find out just yet, at least not until he’s ready.

But it seems that waiting until he’s ready will not do, not when there’s a possibility that Joonmyun will be snatched away by someone else.

He’s walking across the school grounds, their Care of Magical Creatures class having just ended when he sees Joonmyun walking with Yifan at the wooden bridge. Joonmyun is laughing at whatever Yifan is saying, pushing the other playfully. Sehun sees green and he strides towards them, ignoring Soojung’s yelling.

Joonmyun looks taken aback when Sehun stops in front of them and Yifan merely smirks.

“Hyung, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Joonmyun looks up at Yifan quickly as if looking for permission, which only manages to annoy Sehun further before nodding in agreement.

He doesn't waste anymore time, quickly grabbing Joonmyun’s hand and pulling him away from Yifan back into the castle. Joonmyun much to his relief doesn’t protest, allowing himself be lead to who knows where. Even when Sehun loosens his grip on his hand, he doesn’t let go. That’s surely a good sign Sehun thinks.

They end up in an empty classroom, sitting side by side on one of the table for two. Considering that he hadn’t planned on doing anything, Sehun just looks at Joonmyun for a while, catching his breath at the same time and thinking of what to say.

Joonmyun waits patiently, smiling encouragingly. Sehun doesn’t fail to notice however that he’s suddenly playing with the hem of his uniform.

Struck with an idea, Sehun quickly takes out a piece of parchment, ink and a quill. _The quill._ He slides them all to Joonmyun, who quirks an eyebrow in question.

“Write something about yourself that’s a fact hyung.” When Joonmyun hesitates, Sehun adds, “Trust me.”

Joonmyun seems to be thinking for a moment before starting to write something. Sehun moves his chair closer so he see clearly.

_I’m a boy._

Sehun chuckles, trust Joonmyun to write something so obvious. Unsurprisingly, the sentence stays.

“Try something that’s maybe unique to you hyung. Something I don’t know preferably.”

Joonmyun hums this time, taking a bit longer to think of something else to write before saying _ah!_ and finally dipping the quill in the ink once more.

_I fell down from a broomstick when I was seven._

“Oh wow, now I know why you said you hate flying hyung,” Sehun remarks once he’s read the text, hand impulsively resting on Joonmyun’s shoulder in comfort.

“What is this about?” says Joonmyun at last, curiosity getting to him.

“I’ll explain later, you need to see it first,” Sehun promises, sincerely hoping that Joonmyun won’t suddenly drop the quill and call him mad, “Now I need you to write something that is a lie hyung, something that’s not true.”

Joonmyun grumbles but agrees nonetheless.

Sehun makes sure to lean even closer this time so that he won’t miss whatever lies Joonmyun’s going to write. He gets a whiff of the other’s shampoo, imagining this will probably be one of the scents he’ll smell if he comes across the infamous love potion.

He shakes his head to rid of his thoughts, focusing back on the tip of the quill as Joonmyun begins to write.

_I’m a girl._

Sehun rolls his eyes and suppresses his laughter in favour of telling Joonmyun to look at the parchment just in time for the three words to start fading away.

“W-what happened?” Joonmyun stammers, almost brushing his nose against Sehun’s cheek as he turns around in shock. Just as quickly, he looks back down at the parchment, blushing furiously.

Sehun doesn’t explain why just yet, only asking Joonmyun to write another lie. He does so without complaints this time, obviously intrigued by what’s going on. The lie he comes up with too doesn’t require much thinking.

_I love my stepmother’s cooking._

They wait for a while and when the sentence fades away too, Joonmyun gasps, seemingly more surprised than the first time.

“Oh,” he says, leaning back first before turning to face Sehun this time, “I think I get it now. It’s the quill right?”

Sehun nods.

“Wow.”

“I know,” Sehun smiles, “Now hyung, could you do me a favour and write ‘I like Yifan’ please?”

Joonmyun laughs for a good minute after that, head tilting backwards before finally realising that Sehun was being serious. He clears his throat awkwardly and does as told. Sehun waits with bated breath before finally, _finally_ the words fade out. He swears the quill was playing with him for a moment there.

“Good,” he breathes out in relief. Joonmyun’s raises an eyebrow in question but Sehun ignores it. He takes the quill from Joonmyun, brushing their fingers purposely, “Watch this hyung.”

_I like Jongin._

This time, he can sense Joonmyun holding his breath instead, stiffening a little bit next to him. Weeks ago, Sehun would probably be nervous that the words won’t fade away but now, he’s sure that that is not the case anymore. He stares at Joonmyun, anticipating his reaction. When he sees the smile blossoming on the other’s face moments later, he rejoices internally.

Joonmyun meets his gaze, once and for all expecting an explanation. Sehun too thinks that the quill isn’t needed for now, gently laying it back down on the table.

“I don’t like Jongin. I used to but it was just puppy love. For the past five years, I’ve been trying to be friends with him and hopefully from there it’ll lead to something more. As you can guess, that didn’t work. When you asked me for help, I agreed for my own selfish reason and I’m sorry for that. But then spending time with you changes everything. As the weeks pass by, I realised that I always look forward to our tutoring sessions not because Jongin might be there but because I get to see you and talk to you. And when we walk back to the common room, I have the excuse to stand close to you because you always complain of the cold,” he takes a deep breath, reaching out and taking Joonmyun’s hand, “What I’m trying to say is, I like you, hyung.”

There’s no word from Joonmyun after the long confession. He just looks at Sehun, lips set in a straight line which makes Sehun slightly nervous. And then his gaze strays away from his eyes, landing on his lips instead. Before Sehun can make sense of what’s happening, Joonmyun is leaning forward, their lips meeting in a chaste kiss.

“First of all, in case it isn’t obvious from that kiss, I like you too,” Joonmyun confesses, hooking both arms around Sehun’s neck, “Second, you can show me how sorry you are for using me to get closer to Jongin with your mouth. Depending on your performance, I will decide whether to forgive you or not.”

“Let's find out shall we?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading until the end, I really appreciate it! Just a few more notes from me:   
>  \- Almost all of the facts found in this fic are taken from harrypotter.wikia   
>  \- Things may seem hanging on Jongin's side of the story, will he ever change? Maybe? Maybe not? I left it like that on purpose just in case I want to write another story in the same universe ;)


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